P.O.D. fans have waited with
crossed fingers for four years for a new album since the band’s last release
When Angels & Serpents Dance. While
they departed from the core P.O.D. sound in that album to experiment with
atmospheric guitars and a more modern sound, the band is back to their roots
with Murdered Love. The new album
contains the pop anthems of Satellite, the hardcore sensibility of more than a
decade-old Brown, and the creative vocals of Testify. P.O.D. has always declared their faith with vehemence,
and on this album it is no different; however, they do so in a way that has
many fans sputtering. But more on
this later.

Murdered Love is an amalgamation
of sound that blends and winds its way together like a well-defined tornadic whirlwind. At any one time elements of pop,
hardcore, and even funk swim to the surface and present themselves for the
listener’s pleasure; while lesser bands might stumble and become disjointed,
P.O.D. interlocks these dissimilar musical ventures and knits them together with
precision and finesse. There’s enough
material on the record to interest fans of different sub-genres, and perhaps
this has been one of the reasons for the band’s continuous success. Murdered Love is constructed well, with heavier
songs interspersed with sing-a-longs, a ballad, and even a street jam. The production quality and mixing is
professional and rises above When Angels & Serpents Dance (at times, the
production on that record sounded a bit thin).

P.O.D. roars into Murdered Love
with help from guest vocalist Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, leaving the listener
pummeled with the short but articulate song Eyez. Then it’s on to the title-track, with another
guest performer (Sick Jacken of Psycho Realm).
The song is well-layered with an eerie spoken line in-between the
chorus. Lost in Forever will have P.O.D.
fans reminiscing Satellite, and Beautiful is a definite nod to Youth of the Nation. However, the record comes to a screeching halt
with tracks 8 and 9. Hiding under the fertile
top layer of silt, there is a dry bed of rock that is blocking off the local
aquifer. On Fire is a bit catchy but immediately
becomes tenuous as “Stop, drop and roll—I’m on fire!” is more than cliché. Bad Boy may actually make you cringe a bit
and it is one of P.O.D.’s worst attempts on the album. Sure, Sonny may have a girl in mind with the
lyrics—but the song ultimately comes across as shallow and the chorus is
actually fairly laughable: “And I’m a
bad boy, and I like good girls…” The further reference
to Romeo and Juliet as a romantic truism may have even Shakespeare gagging
in the afterlife (honestly, the play was meant as more of a comment on the
whims of fate than the idealism of a perfect romance).

But with the last song of
Murdered Love P.O.D. once again grabs hold of the rudder and guides their ship
into blissful territory. I Am is
powerful, both vocally and musically.
Regardless of your viewpoint on their use of a garbled “F” word and the
band’s Christian faith, one must admit that conviction emerges with headstrong
abandonment. That the dregs of society
might find redemption through no attempt of their own is a startling concept. The song dwindles out with a well-placed
ritardando and a fading chord. So, the
final verdict. Murdered Love is a definitive
collection of P.O.D. classics, and while not entirely consistent, both old and
new fans will no doubt find something to love.
Welcome back, Payable On Death. Oh, and if you see Ryan Clark at a Demon Hunter concert in the near
future, you should tell him that his album art is sick.

Overall rating: 8.0 out of 10.0 (Excellent)

Musicianship: 8.0 out of 10.0

Song structure: 7.5 out of 10.0

Album structure: 8.5 out of 10.0

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How did I come up with my
rating? I rate the following categories: musicianship, song
structure, and album structure. I then take an average of these three
scores and come up with an overall rating.

1.0-2.9 (Poor:
musicianship is poor, song structures are haphazard, no directional flow)
3.0-4.9 (Good:
musicianship is sloppy, song structures are undeveloped, flow is hampered)
5.0-6.9 (Average:
musicianship is adequate, song structures are good, flow works most of the
time)
7.0-8.9 (Excellent:
musicianship is very good, song structures are thought out, songs connect well)
9.0-9.9 (Superior:
musicianship is superb, song structures are varied, flow is almost flawless)

Note: Ratings may be given
in increments of 0.1 for a final score (rounded up) and 0.5 for individual
category scores. I will never give a rating of 10.0 because I do not
believe that any one album can be "perfect," and the ratings at
either end of the spectrum will be very few.

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